Cops set to only record non-crime hate talk when absolutely necessary
POLICE are set to only record non-crime hate talk when absolutely necessary — in a major freedom of speech win.
A new draft code is due before Parliament today.
It addresses concerns that those who express views that some consider offensive — but are not against the law — are at risk of their data being stored in police records.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman insists the new guidelines will free up officers to focus on “serious crimes such as burglary and violent offences, rape and other sexual offences”.
She said she was “deeply concerned” at reports of police getting involved in “lawful debate”.
She added: “We have been clear that in recording so-called non-crime hate incidents, officers must always have freedom of expression at the forefront of their minds.”
In future, personal data will only be recorded for incidents motivated by “intentional hostility” that could lead to a risk of “significant harm”.
Greater Manchester chief constable Stephen Watson said: “It’s not automatically unlawful to say or do things which can be unpleasant, hurtful, distasteful or offensive.
“This guidance is replete with sensible provisions to safeguard victims of hate crime and better distinguishes between that which should involve the police and that which, in a free country, should emphatically not.”